At least this one makes sense. Check out the fines though.
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_113124809.html

'Toy' Dog Attacks 80-Pound Pit Bull
(STNG) WAUKEGAN The owner of a 10-pound "toy" dog was cited over the weekend when her dog attacked an 80-pound pit bull.

Garry Laffredi was walking his 2-year-old pit bull Capone near his apartment complex Thursday when a neighbor's Pomeranian came running at them and attacked the dog.

"(Capone's) not a bad guy. He's real friendly. He's people friendly," Laffredi said. "He loves other dogs. (But) this little Pomeranian ran out and starts biting him on the foot."

Pomeranians, which are classified as Toy dogs by the American Kennel Club, can be as small as three pounds and resemble a fox in appearance, generally having a bushy orange coat and pointed ears.

Laffredi said the Pomeranian bit Capone's foot hard enough "to draw blood" also managed to nick Capone on the top of the head as he tried to pull the pit bull away on a leash.

Eventually, Laffredi said, Capone "grabbed the dog and more or less set him off to the side" before the two dogs were separated.

It was not the first time Laffredi had a run-in with the 10-pound dog.

He was bit in the hand two weeks ago by the Pomeranian but chose not to report it, he said.

Waukegan animal warden Tina Fragassi said she was not surprised when her office fielded the report about Thursday's attack.

"They stand their ground, those little dogs," she said.

The Pomeranian's owner, who declined to comment, was cited with failure to prevent a dog bite, owning a dog running at large, not possessing a dog license, and not having updated rabies shots.

Each citation comes with a $25 fine, Fragassi said

jesse's mommy

April 24th, 2006, 06:19 AM

Is that it? Only four $25 citations? Now, we all know if this was the other way around....do I need finish that statement?

Lise

April 24th, 2006, 08:27 AM

In more than twenty five years of working with dogs I have had one really bad bite and it was a pomeranian.I don't like to generalize on breeds,but I have yet to meet a pom with a nice temperament.I don't know if it's because the owners let them be horrible or the breed.I have yet to meet a nasty pit and that is because of the owners I know and the breed!

technodoll

April 24th, 2006, 09:41 AM

they don't call them "nasty little ankle-biters" for nothing... give me a big gentle slobbering dog any day over one of them yapping long-haired rats with teeth! :evil:

jawert1

April 24th, 2006, 09:52 AM

Simon and Peach were just attacked by 2 toy poodles over the weekend when their owner dropped the one's leash and failed to pick the other up, so it jumped in the fray. Thank goodness neither of my dogs reacted this time, but I'm with technodoll, give me a large, well behaved breed any day over small, untrained, ill mannered and bad tempered "i've got something to prove" dogs (and their sometimes clueless owners)

Joey.E.CockersMommy

April 24th, 2006, 09:56 AM

Joey is okay with dogs his same size or smaller - but doesnt seem to like bigger dogs.

If a smaller than Joey dog sees Joey that dog will often start barking at Joey as Joey as bigger (I think)

I wouldnt call Joey - or any other small dog a nasty ankle biter - I love everyones dog - even if I wouldnt that particular dog for myself - they are alll special. Lucky for us too Joey isnt yappy at all I can count the number of times he barks a day on one hand. :D

Capone handled the feisty Pom very well.

LM1313

April 24th, 2006, 01:13 PM

Large dogs seem to be easier to train than small dogs, even with a good owner, though I'm not sure why. Weren't poms originally a nordic breed weighing 30 to 40 lbs? And then the larger version went extinct and only the fashionable toy poms were left? I wonder if the breed suffered from their downsizing . . . Kind of a historic version of backyard breeding for one trait only (small size.)

I've got to say, it really annoys me when I see a tiny dog who thinks he's so tough yapping and challenging a much bigger dog. A lot of people think it's "spunky" or something, but it just seems dense to me. And you KNOW the larger dog will get blamed if a fight breaks out. :(

~LM~

Luvmypit

April 24th, 2006, 01:51 PM

GREAT NAME :thumbs up

Tell me about it! I hate that. My dog was circled by another small white dog. The small dog barking all around him. Capone literally slapped him with his paw. He could have eaten him so i was proud that my dog showed restraint.
Then my friends dog Charlie lunges and nips capone constantly all the while capone stands over him, tail wagging waiting for this guy to play... Hes a mini pinscher.

I think it has to do with their fight or flight instinct. I am sure they notice the sizer difference and feel they need to attck before being the attacked.
And I also think what little dogs do destructively doesn't have as much as an impact as say a lab so more things are just allowed.

Melei'sMom

April 24th, 2006, 02:13 PM

And I also think what little dogs do destructively doesn't have as much as an impact as say a lab so more things are just allowed.

I am not sure if this is the case. The owner of a pom or poodle or shihtzu that allows destructive behavior would probably be no better with a larger dog.

I have always believed that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. My shihtzuX is small, and chewing would cause miniaml damage, but chewing, biting and other such behaviors are not tolerated, no matter her size.

Owners who can not control their dogs, either big, small or in between, are not good owners and should be held accountable with no difference in expectations and consequences be it a pitty or a poodle.

gomez

April 25th, 2006, 07:04 AM

WOW - I never thought there would be such a dog size bias on this board - aren't we all animal lovers? Or does it depend on how well the dog is trained and therefore, it's size, apparently?

LM1313 - do you really think it's easier to train a huge husky or a rhodesian ridgeback than it is to train a poodle?
A lot of little dogs are terriers, which are automatically not as easily trained as a lab, for example, it depends on the breed and what they were bred for - a terrier is bred to kill a rat on the spot, a lab is bred to bring a bird back unharmed - I would think it would be very difficult to get a lab to kill a rat on the spot, no matter if you had the best trainer in the world... sorry...

And technodoll "nasty little ankle-biters" ??? What's up with that statement? "yapping long-haired rats with teeth! " I just hope a little one that needs help or rescuing never comes to your back door....

Melei's Mom you are so right about the owners, you could have a huge dog causing chaos just as easily as much "nasty little ankle-biters"...

jawert1

April 25th, 2006, 07:45 AM

I don't think there's a single person on these boards that would turn away any animal in need, small or large breed. As for preference, sure, people have their preferences for lots of things, a lot of folks simply like larger dogs. I have no problem with well behaved dogs of any size, but honestly, my dogs and I have been attacked twice now by small breeds - specifically a bichon and 2 toy poodles. In both cases, it was a combination of very bad behaviour, NO owner supervision and NO training. Do I hold the dogs responsible? Yes. Do I hold the owners MORE responsible? Yes. Is it the same amount of effort, love and patience to train a shih tzu vs. a husky? Yes. It's all about what you put into your pet and how much you care to see them well and alive for years to come. A pack of 6 chihuahuas attacked a police officer in California a few months ago, putting him on administrative leave. While I find that riotously funny, it speaks to the negligence on the owners part. Would I turn a chi or a poodle in need away from my door? No way, and I don't think technodoll or LM would either. But I do love the spirit of debate here :)

BMDLuver

April 25th, 2006, 07:47 AM

Recently started to include small dogs as well as xlarge dogs in my ventures to assist with rescue. Having started doing this, I have found that shelters reject small dogs much more readily than they do the xlarge ones.

Why? Certain small breeds present very differently in a shelter than they would meeting them in their own home.

For example, Minpins. Everytime I see a Minpin, I go right over to say hello. They are normally yapping, snarling and growling like they are going to murder me through the cage. Of course, I stand 6' tall so you can imagine what a sight I present to something that is only weighing 5lbs or so. As soon as I crouch down, stick a hand through and let them have a good sniff, we 98% of the time become fast friends. I attribute it to them having decided that the cage is now their home and they are going to protect that space because, really, who the heck is that person. If they still aren't settling, normally opening the door and letting them head over sets their minds at ease.

Then we have the Poms. Rarely do I get an adverse reaction from the Pom. They are spinning and twirling to get attention or standing up on hind legs doing the front leg dance as I refer to it. The poms appear less stressed in the shelter being better able to cope with the loud noises.

The two breeds I am most cautious with in the small category are the spaniels and the shihtzu's. I have been bitten by both without so much as a snarl to warn. That being said.. their body language normally suggests that they may not be happy with my arrival so go slowly lady.

Then there's the larger breeds.. Danes can be very different in a shelter than they are in a home. They don't like the loud noises, they appear afraid and jumpy. That's a lot of dog to work with if it decides to defend itself. I've been snapped at but not bitten yet. But I still respect their ability to do so. Yet they are referred to as gentle giants.

Bouvier des Flandes, another breed I proceed with caution when meeting for the first time. They are always up for a challenge and keep an eyeball on you at all times, sometimes making it difficult to fully read their intentions.

The point in all of this is to say that both large breeds and small breeds can have their quirks and seeing them in the worst situation brings the quirks to the forefront. All breeds can be aggressive and all breeds can be gentle. Really circumstance, previous conditions, socialisation, etc.. make the dog not the breed.

technodoll

April 25th, 2006, 09:54 AM

i agree, blame the owner and not the dog if the dog is misbehaved, no matter the age, size or breed. BUT, in my personal experience on this planet (and I'm not a kid anymore), it seems that the smaller the dog, the more "acceptable" and "cute" it is to let it snarl, bite, growl, yip, yap and bite! the owners think that just by picking up their bundle of joy, the behavior is excused cuz "they can't do any harm". well that is BS. thank god for leashes or my dogs and i would have gotten attacked a dozen times over from these little terrors (pure and mixed) over the years... much more rare to see that behavior walking down a street from a medium or large dog. probably because the owners don't tolerate it as much, due to liability, social acceptance, etc.

oh and my big akita was attacked twice by this crazy jack russel, my dog sustained substantial injuries to his face (bloody nose, 1.5" cut under the eye, multiple puncture wounds on cheek, head, lips) while the JRT did not have one single injury... all my dog did was try to shake it off while snarling and growling. who got blamed to be the big evil dog? take a guess... :mad:

i know and adore MANY small dogs, including some sweet JRT's, as long as they are well-behaved and behave like civilised dogs instead of yapping crazy ankle-biters. i maintain that this kind of behavior is NOT tolerated in big dogs - can you imagine a rottie displaying the typical behavior of a granny-owned purse dog? - nooo, it would be deemed vicious and put away. argument = big dogs cause more damage. well how about the small ones that start the trouble and the other bigger dog gets punished in the end? how about babies and toddlers that get bitten by these small untrained dogs, are the bites less painful and traumatic?

i say ALL dogs NEED to be trained to behave like well-mannered members of society, which they are. there is no excuse for harboring a 4-legged terrorist just because it fits inside a shoulder purse. :pawprint: